Page 65 of The Other Side of the Mirror

And despite everything, being in his arms made me feel like I could breathe again.

We stayed like that for an indeterminable, suspended moment in time as I cried into his shirt, and he whispered comforting nothings into my hair. I was vaguely aware of the others moving about the room. But they gave us our space as I let out what I couldn’t hold in any longer.

When my tears were nothing more than hiccups, Bash pulled back to look at my face. I hastily wiped it with my cloak.

“I’m sorry.” His eyes swirled like a storm, so dark they were unfathomable. There was utter heartbreak written on every line of his face. “If I had known…if I had realized his deception sooner, I would’ve done anything to save you from that. To save you from him.”

“It’s not your fault,” I said, a bit hoarsely.

I hadn’t had anything to drink since before Aviel’s attack. Bash’s canteen was at my lips before I could even ask. I should have told him to put me down, but I wasn’t ready to leave the safety of his arms just yet. So I drank deeply as I leaned further into the warm comfort of his chest.

When I took a large gulp, I realized with horror that the collar blocking my magic was still around my neck. That horror intensified as I remembered the iron mask hiding Tobias’s face.

“But my brother—” My voice broke on the word, and with it came an unbearable wave of rage. “Tobias is in his dungeon. He’s been alive this whole time.”

“Then we’ll find a way to free him,” Bash promised immediately.

Rivan came forward, nodding in agreement. I saw Yael exchange a glance with Marin before both their gazes rested back on me. She must have mirrored here before we arrived based on her attire.

“We’ll need to get a better idea of their defenses before we attempt to infiltrate.” Rivan turned to a nearby table, writing a message that disappeared in a flash of greenish light. “Our people will find a way in, so we’ll be ready to act as soon as they have it. And once you’re…recovered.”

“We should have never left you there,” Yael said, guilty recrimination in every word. “Of course we’ll get him out too.”

Marin was holding a small palm-sized object with a smooth, oval surface. It was made of a shimmering, iridescent material that seemed to pulse with an inner light.

She knelt beside me. “My mother made this. It can be used to absorb and neutralize magic from an object. Ithinkit’ll work on that,” she added, eyeing the collar around my throat.

I touched the too-cold metal without thinking, then nodded, dropping my hand to my side. Marin leaned forward, gently pressing the device against it. The stone glowed brightly under my chin, releasing a soft hum as it began to absorb the collar’s magic. After a few moments, I felt the band crack. Bash carefully removed it, and my hands flew up to touch my unencumbered throat, wincing at the raw skin underneath.

With a gasp, I felt that pit inside me fill. I breathed a sigh of relief that my magic was back, like I had been unknowingly holding my breath since the moment that collar was clasped around my neck. My darkness swirled around me, flowing down my body like it would fix my wounds, gently cradling me around Bash’s hold. It brushed against his face and chest like a cat seeking attention before it receded.

I relaxed as Marin touched the sides of my forehead, her magic warm as it seeped from her fingertips. My headache immediately faded to a dull echo of its former strength. Then she traced the split of my bruised lips, the cut on my cheek, and I felt them soothe in the wake of her touch. She moved her hands over me as if sensing the worst of my injuries. I hissed as she prodded my bruised ribs before starting to work on them. Bash never let go of me, only repositioned his arms when needed; tightening them protectively as he took in the extent of what happened to me.

With a frown, Marin turned her attention to my bloody wrists and neck. “These will scar, especially with the iron.”

I didn’t ask how she knew what had cut into me. Then let out a deep sigh of relief as the cuts faded into red lines, relishing the lack of pain in my ribs as I did so.

When I looked up, all I could see was the guilt on their faces.

“You thought I was safe,” I murmured. “I thought I was too. You couldn’t have known. He was…he was supposed to be…” I trailed off as my throat tightened, the surge of fury making it difficult to speak.

“Well, you’re safe here,” Yael said, coming up behind Marin. “We’re in the Imyrian mountains. No one even knows about this place except Bash’s family and a few trusted others. And the only other way in is via a protected mirror in Bash’s quarters in the keep. That’s how Marin got here.”

I nodded slowly, and Yael hesitated.

“How did you get away?” Marin blurted the question like she couldn’t wait to ask any longer.

I clasped my hands together tightly, trying to stop their shaking. “There was a woman there who was…tending me. Alette. I think he…I think he did to her what he tried to do to me.” Bash went preternaturally still, except for the raging storm in his eyes. “I’m not sure how I convinced her to help me. She left a syringe of whatever drug they used to knock me out hidden under one of the pillows, then unlocked my chains before Av…before he came for me.”

I hated the way my voice gave out at Aviel’s name. Rivan let out a growl, and Yael’s lips squeezed together until they were two thin, white lines.

“He tried to—” My voice faltered, and I saw Bash’s ripple of dark fury as his arms tightened around me, his shadows darting agitatedly between us. I closed my eyes and shifted so I was talking into his chest, unable to meet anyone’s eyes.

“When he was…close enough. When he was distracted…I took the syringe and stabbed it into his heart. Alette…she got me out of the castle through a secret passage that led to the woods.” A thought suddenly occurred to me. “How did you find me so quickly?”

“We were already on our way,” Rivan said, and I remembered Bash saying as much in our dream. “Bash thought something was wrong when he hadn’t heard from you, and we decided to go check on you. We were less than a day’s ride away when you dreamwalked. Then your messages led us right to you.”

I had more questions, but my head was spinning too much to voice them.

---